Ford Transit MY 21

Ford and Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) have officially introduced the Ford Transit commercial van in the country – the fifth-generation goes on sale in two diesel variant forms, these being a high-roof Panel Van 350L and a 13-seater medium-roof Window Van 370L.

The V347 - which was recently replaced by the latest sixth-gen in Europe and North America - is assembled at Sime Darby's Inokom plant in Kulim. Last sold here in the last decade in its fourth-gen guise, the Transit doesn't just mark a return to the light commercial segment for the Blue Oval in Malaysia, but a restart of local assembly operations as well.

A proven workhorse with over seven million units sold worldwide, the Transit is currently sold in six continents and 116 markets globally. Ford claims that the Transit – which measures in at 5,680 mm long, 1,974 mm wide and 2,394 mm tall (for the Window Van version; 2,606 mm for Panel Van) - delivers a best-in-class combination of fuel economy, power and cargo capacity.

Ford Transit MY 1

Both CKD Transit body-types are rear-wheel drive offerings, powered by a 2.2 litre Duratorq TDCi engine offering 155 PS at 3,500 rpm and 385 Nm at 1,600 rpm, paired with a MT82 six-speed manual transmission. If the running gear sounds familiar, it is; the same engine and gearbox combi can be found on the Ford Ranger T6.

Standard fit items include fabric seats, manual air-con and a two-speaker CD audio system, and in the case of the Window Van, all seats are equipped with three-point seatbelts, and there are roof-mounted rear AC vents for passengers. The variant also comes equipped with hammers for emergency evacuation purposes.

As for safety kit, there's hill launch assist, ABS with EBD and brake assist, and the Window Van variant adds on electronic stability program (ESP) and brake traction control system (TCS).

At the launch yesterday, the brand also announced the introduction of a network of nine specialist commercial vehicle (CV) centres. Located at existing Ford dealerships, these will offer dedicated sales and aftersales services for the van.

The nine Ford CV centres can be found at SDAC (Petaling Jaya), Trio Mantap (Ampang and Seremban), Capital Intertrade (Damansara), SNS Kembara (Ipoh), Sri Mutiara (Kuantan), Sibu Ngu (Sibu), Ang Trading (Muar) and Auto Lumina (Johor Bahru)

The Ford Transit Panel Van goes for RM139,888 (company commercial registration), while the Window Van is priced at RM146,888 (individual private registration).